The Empire Underneath
by StorymasterQ
Summary: The MechaTama from the Empire Seta found captured our friends and made them experiment materials. Of what? Why? Some curse words and mild 'action' between Naru and Keitarou scattered evenly on Chapter 2
1.

An Empire Underneath - Emotions

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina or any of the characters, but if you find any character here that is not in the Love Hina character list, that one is mine.

"Keitarooo~!" a voice pierced through Keitaro's head as he suddenly looked up from the book he was reading. And surely enough, a foot landed on his face. "Konnichiwa (Good afternoon)!"  
"Su-chan!" Keitaro exclaimed as he regained his composure.  
"Keitaro, let's explore the ruins with me!" Kaolla exclaimed as she jumped around the room, to the walls, then floor, then walls again, like a human rubber ball.  
"I can't, Su-chan." Keitaro said. "I'm having a test next week, and I'm to study overnight!"  
"Then let's study as we explore!" Kaolla continued to jump around.  
"I can't do that!" Keitaro exclaimed.  
"Heey, be quiet down there!" A shout came from the hole on the ceiling.  
"Ah, Narusegawa! I'm sorry!" Keitaro said. Then at Kaolla, "Su-chan, onegai (please)."  
Kaolla landed and fumed. "Ah, you're no fun." She then jumped out of the window.  
Keitaro sighed.  
Naru popped her head through the hole. "Hey, Keitaro." she called.  
Keitaro looked up to her. "What is it?" he asked.  
"Su-chan seemed desperate in finding a friend to explore since Sarah-chan went with Seta-san on another excavation." said Naru. "She even asked me."  
Keitaro took a breath. "Hmm, maybe she's lonely." he said. "Maybe I should've gone with her."  
"Do what you think is necessary, Kanrinin (inn manager)." Naru said as she went back up, not forgetting to close the hole.

**LOVE HINA Special Episode! #1**

**The Empire Underneath**

**Chapter 1: Emotions**

Shinobu was preparing for lunch when Kaolla crept behind her. Luckily, she spotted her first. "Ah, Kaolla. We're having your favorite, today! Extra Chilly Curry!"  
Kaolla's eyes went starry. "Wai! Thank you, Shinobu! Now, as thanks, let's go explore the ruins!"  
Shinobu's face showed uncertainty and fear. "Uh, ah, I still have to prepare lunch..."  
Kaolla sighed. She threw herself onto her usual seat on the dining table. "Ah, that's alright." Her face showed extreme disappointment, a real rarity.

That night...  
"Eh, won't Su-chan be eating with us?" asked Keitaro as he took a seat and saw that everyone was there except Kaolla.  
"She said she has something to do." Shinobu replied. "She took her food to her room. Do you want me to call her, Urashima-senpai?"  
"No, thanks, Shinobu-chan." said Keitaro. "If she's busy then we shouldn't be bothering her."  
"Ah, that's something new, coming from you." Mitsune commented. "Are you sure you're not Ranba-san?"  
Laughter filled the dining room.

Meanwhile...  
"So what if no one's going to play with me." Kaolla was putting her dinner into a can before shutting it tight. "I'll go myself." She put the can into a filled backpack. She then took it and wore it, then stood up. She opened a small blue book. It was Sarah's hand-drawn map of the secret passageways of Hinata-sou.

The next day, Sunday morning...  
"Eh, Su-chan isn't here again?" Keitaro asked.  
"Um," Shinobu replied as she swallowed her breakfast. "She didn't answer when I knocked her room this morning, so I presume she's still sleeping after exhausting herself last night."  
Keitaro nodded, but his face showed concern.  
"Relax, Keitaro." Mitsune said. "And lose that face. It doesn't fit you."  
Laughter filled the dining room once again.

Still Sunday, nearing lunchtime.  
A tap was heard on the Kanrinin's room's door.  
Keitaro took his face off his book and went to the door. "What is it...?" But to his surprise, as he opened the door, Shinobu jumped in and hugged him, crying like there's no tomorrow. "N-Nani (What)? Shinobu-chan? What's wrong?"  
The commotion lured Naru's attention and she jumped down from her room. All she saw was Keitaro hugging a crying Shinobu. "K-Keitaro!" She exclaimed before letting her fist fly.  
"Matte (Wait)! Naru-senpai!" Shinobu exclaimed, stopping Naru's fist inches from Keitaro's face. "I came here because... because...Kaolla...She's nowhere in her room!"  
"Nani~?!"

Keitaro opened Kaolla's room's door and sighed at the sight of the jungle inside. "Whoa. This room amazes me whenever I look at it." Keitaro mumbled. Behind him was everyone from Hinata-sou.  
"Are you sure you've searched everywhere?" asked Mitsune. "This...forest has a lot of hiding spots."  
"I'm sure." Shinobu was still stifling her cry. "I've even threatened her not to make any more spicy meals if she didn't come out, but she didn't."  
"Hmm, that sure is weird." said Mitsune.  
"Come on." Keitaro said as he entered the room. "We might be able to know where she went if we search the room."

An hour of search and the result was nothing. Shinobu had excused herself half an hour before to start making lunch. The others were sitting under a tree, resting from the vigorous search.  
"Where could she have gone to?" asked Motoko. "This is not like her."  
"Maybe she's just exploring the hidden passageways here. Why do we bother looking for her, anyway?" asked Mitsune.  
"Exploring...?!" Keitaro said. He and Naru then exclaimed together: "The Ruins!"  
"Huh? Nani?" Motoko asked.  
"She asked me yesterday to accompany her exploring the ruins." said Keitaro.  
"Me too." said Naru. "I think she's going to find the turtle empire we found that day."  
"The mechanical robot turtles?" asked Mitsune.  
"Turtle?! Where!?" Motoko jumped to stand.  
"We should look for her." Keitaro said as he stood up.  
"Why are you suddenly cared so much for her?" Naru stood up next to him, her fists ready.  
"I'm the Kanrinin!" Keitaro exclaimed back. Then, softer, "And besides, I genuinely cared for anyone."  
"Well said, Keitaro!" Mitsune slapped a hand on his back. "Come on! Let's try to find an entrance!"

After lunch...  
"D-Do I really have to come too?" Motoko said as they gathered near the stairwell. One of the tunnels that lead to the Turtle Empire started under it.  
"Of course, Motoko-san." Keitaro said. "You're the only one we can count on in these kind of missions."  
Motoko grumbled as she shakily went under the stairwell, followed by Keitaro, Naru, Mitsune, and lastly, Shinobu.  
"It's very dark here." said Mitsune as she turned on her flashlight.  
"Um," Shinobu agreed. "Senpai, may I hold your hand?" she asked Keitaro.  
"A-Anoo..." Keitaro was surprised, moreover with Naru behind Shinobu, with her eyes flashing red.  
"Keitaro! What are you doing to a Junior High student?!" Naru exclaimed as she hit him hard, making him fly further into the tunnel.

Not long, they came to a fork on the road. "Which one? Left or right?" asked Keitaro.  
Naru hummed. "Last time, we took the right one and ended up under Haruka-san's tea house, right?" she asked.  
"Ah, that's right!" Keitaro nodded. "We'll take the left route then."  
"But Shinobu and I took it and got to where Mecha-Tama was feeding itself with our electronic stuff." said Mitsune.  
Motoko frowned. "But, are you sure that it was a dead end?"  
Mitsune raised both shoulders. "Do you remember, Shinobu-chan?"  
Shinobu shook head. "I don't remember, gomen (sorry)."  
"Let's try it anyway, since we're here already." said Keitaro.

"Here it is." said Mitsune as they arrive on a steel door.  
"It's rusted shut." said Keitaro as he tried to open it. The door didn't budge.  
"Out of the way, yowai na otoko (weak man)! Hiken Zankuusen!" Motoko exclaimed, her sword swung forwards.  
The door opened with a loud noise and crashed onto the opposite wall, with Keitaro on it, his eyes formed anime-style swirls. Apparently, he didn't have time to get out of the way.  
"Ah! Senpai!" Shinobu hurried to Keitaro's side.  
"Miru (Look)! Another door!" Mitsune pointed.  
"So, it's not a dead end after all." Naru said.  
"Come on, minna (everyone)! This is getting interesting." said Mitsune as she went to the door, with a foxy smile she use to have on her face whenever she's getting excited.  
"Ah! Matte!" Shinobu was still trying to get Keitaro to consciousness.  
"Let me try, Shinobu-chan." Naru said as she knelt beside Keitaro. She lowered her face to him, and they seemed like they were about to kiss.  
Shinobu was already acting strange. "A-Anoo...Auuu...Naru-senpai..."  
But Naru didn't kiss him, she just whispered into his ear, _very_ softly, "Keitaro...-chan"  
As expected, Keitaro opened his eyes in an instant. "N-Narusegawa?!"  
Naru stood up with a winner's face. "Hah, told you! Isoide (Hurry up), Keitaro, or you'll be left behind!" she said as she went through the door.  
"Ahhh..." Keitaro sighed, his face showed disappointment.  
"Anoo, senpai, we'd best go." Shinobu reminded him.  
"Hai (yes/right)."

"Ssh!" Motoko suddenly hissed. The people behind her stopped on their tracks immediately including Keitaro and Shinobu who had caught up a few minutes before. "I heard voices."  
They sharpened their hearing, and indeed, they heard some voices. Mechanical voices. Also a very familiar shouting voice.  
"Lemme go! Hey, come on! Lemme go!"  
"That's...Su-chan?" asked Keitaro.  
"That does sound like her." Naru agreed.  
"We have to help her..." Shinobu said. "We have to find a way!"  
"Of course, Shinobu-chan." Keitaro tapped the blue-haired girl's head. "We'll save her."  
"A-Anoo, but before, shouldn't we save ourselves first?" Naru asked.  
Only then did they notice that all around them were thousands of Mecha-Tama, surrounding them from all sides.  
"K-Kame (turtle)...doko ni mo (everywhere)..." Motoko mumbled before she raised her sword.  
"Matte! Motoko-san!" Keitaro exclaimed. "You destroyed the roof last time..."  
But he was too late. "Hiken Fuujin Ranbu!" A gust of wind appeared and swept the mechanical turtles away. Thankfully, unlike the previous encounter, the roof didn't collapse. But the mechanical turtles immediately returned to surround them.  
"They're everywhere!" Keitaro exclaimed.  
"They kept coming back!" Mitsune exclaimed.  
"Hiken Fuujin Ranbu!" Motoko retried her technique, but the Mecha-Tama kept returning.  
"Auu...Senpai!!" Shinobu cried as she hugged Keitaro's arm tightly.  
"Keitaro!!" Naru shot a fist and Keitaro flew over the Mecha-Tama, onto the wall, then _through_ the wall.  
After the dust diminished, the room behind the wall was exposed. "Su-chan!" Mitsune exclaimed as she saw her tied onto a steel chair, Keitaro on her lap.  
"Wai, minna! You came for me?!" Kaolla exclaimed happily as usual.  
Then, a bigger version of Mecha-Tama appeared behind Kaolla. It stood up, and its belly opened.  
"It's going to fire!" Mitsune exclaimed.  
"Noooo...!"  
The Big Mecha-Tama fired, and gas suddenly filled the room.

**LOVE HINA: The Empire Underneath...not for sale or rent :)**

Thousands of Mecha-Tama sat around the Big Mecha-Tama, generally making noises.  
The Big Mecha-Tama hissed, and the Mecha-Tama silenced. "Collection of samples complete?" A mechanical voice was audible. It seemed that the Big Mecha-Tama was their leader.  
"Complete." one Mecha-Tama nodded. "Samples for every emotion available." Then, it pointed to some cubic glass cages on the corner of the room, side to side. There were 5 of them, each containing, from the corner, Shinobu, Kaolla, Motoko, Mitsune, while the last one had both Keitaro and Naru, all of them were out cold. The gas seemed to be knock-out gas.  
"Specification?"  
"Sadness." The Mecha-Tama pointed to Shinobu. "Happiness." It pointed to Kaolla. "Fear." Motoko. "Jealousy." Mitsune. "Love." Keitaro and Naru.  
"Continue operation."  
"Continue operation!" The Mecha-Tama exclaimed.

"Uuuh..." Shinobu moaned as she came to. She held her aching head as she tried to sit. She opened her eyes and found herself in her old room, back when her parents haven't divorced. "T-This room..." she whispered. Then, she heard a commotion outside. Despite her aching head, she stood up and went to the door.  
"It's your fault!"  
"No! It's your fault!"  
Shinobu watched as her parents fought each other. Tears began to swell on her eyes. "No...Why should I experience this again...?" She tried to move away, but she couldn't. She couldn't move. She couldn't move a muscle. Couldn't turn around, couldn't look away, couldn't close her eyes. She was forced to watch the fight. "Nooo...!!" She cried.

"Sadness operation complete." One Mecha-Tama reported. "Data saved." It was operating a panel next to Shinobu's glass cage. In it, she was stopped in her tracks, crying heavily, looking outside the glass. "Memory Virtual Reality effectiveness: 99%."  
"Continue." The Big Mecha-Tama ordered.

"Eh?" Kaolla found herself sitting on a tree, facing a setting sun into the sea. She was wearing her adult clothes. "Where am I?"  
"Don't tell me you've forgotten your own country." a voice came from behind her.  
Kaolla turned immediately and found, "Onii-sama (Brother)!" She jumped onto him.  
"Welcome home, Kaolla." Ranba said as he hugged his little sister.  
"Hey, don't get too close, now, Kaolla." Amalla suddenly appeared behind them. "Let's not forget who has married who."  
They all laughed as the sun set into the sea next to them.

"Happiness operation complete." Another Mecha-Tama reported. "Data saved." Just like the previous, it was operation a panel next to Kaolla's glass cage, in which she was laughing like crazy (um, like her usual self), suspended in mid-air, exactly like when she's hanging on her brother. "Memory Virtual Reality effectiveness: 89%."  
"Continue."

Motoko opened her eyes and found herself in her room, meditating. She frowned. "Something is not right." she said. She stood up, took her sword, and went to the door. As she opened it, a huge Tama was sitting in front of Hinata-sou. Its face filled Motoko's door. "K-K-K-K-Kame!" Motoko panicked. "Hiken Zankuusen!" But the blow went through the giant Tama without hurting it. "N-No! It can't be!"  
Then, from the window, appeared a seemingly unending flow of Tama, filling the room. Soon enough, Motoko was trapped in a sea of Tama. Her eyes were already swirling. "K-K-Kame...doko ni mo..." And then she fainted.

"Fear operation complete." Another Mecha-Tama reported. "Data saved." The glass cage next to it had Motoko with swirling eyes, mumbling "K-Kame...doko ni mo...". "Memory Virtual Reality effectiveness: 92%."  
"Continue."

"Kitsune..."  
Mitsune turned and saw Naru, in high school age and uniform. She then looked at herself, and found that she was also a high school girl, in a high school uniform. She went back to Naru. "Huh? N-Nani?"  
"I...I kinda liked Seta-san."  
That sentence felt like an ice knife through her heart. Mitsune realized this. Yet...'Why am I experiencing this all over again?' she thought as she looked at her attire.  
"I think I'm going to marry him someday."  
Mitsune looked up to her. "Chotto (Wait a minute)! What about Keitaro?!"  
Naru looked at her in confusion. "Who?"  
Mitsune gulped. "You know, this really nice guy at Hinata-sou."  
Naru smiled. "Then why don't you and him go together, and become our best man and best maid of honor?"  
Mitsune raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"  
"We're going to marry! We are! We are!" Naru excitedly said as she showed a ring on her left hand.  
Mitsune's eyes bulged out.

"Jealousy operation in progress..." Another Mecha-Tama reported. "Data saved for backup." The glass cage next to it had Mitsune, her eyes bulging out at nothing. "Memory Virtual Reality effectiveness: 56%. Some additional scenes have been created to enhance effectiveness."  
"Proceed."  
"Proceeding with operation...adding more scenes." The Mecha-Tama next to Mitsune's cage seemed to be working hard.  
The Big Mecha-Tama turned to the last cage. A Mecha-Tama came to the panel next to it and began to operate it. "Begin Love operation."  
"Operation begins." The Mecha-Tama replied.

Keitaro sighed as he opened his eyes. They bulged out about 3 inches when he realized who he was hugging under a blanket. 'Narusegawa!!' Keitaro exclaimed in thoughts. He didn't dare to move a muscle, afraid that he might be accompanying the moon as earth's satellite if Naru woke up and start swinging her fist.  
After a while, his pounding heart slowed and he began to calm down. He looked at Naru, exploring her face. 'She's so beautiful...' he thought.  
"Kei...tarou..." Naru sighed.  
Keitaro's heart beat quadrupled in a second, thinking that she'd awakened and ready to hit him away. But he calmed again when he realized that she was still sleeping. He then blushed. 'She said my name in her sleep...?' He then felt something on his back that made the hair behind his neck rose. 'N-Nani kore wa (What's this)?' he thought. He gulped when he realized that it was Naru's hand, sweeping over his back.  
"Kei...tarou..." Naru sighed again.  
'Kami-sama (God)! What is she dreaming?!' Keitaro thought. 'She can't be dreaming of...of..._that_!? With...me?' He blushed again.  
"Kei...tarou..." Naru neared her face with his.  
Keitaro panicked. "N-N-Narusegawa!" he exclaimed.  
That did it. Naru woke up, and when she saw Keitaro next to her, them under a blanket, arms around each other, she panicked even more. "K-Keitaro...!" she exclaimed as she pushed him away.  
"Gomen nasai (I'm very sorry), Narusegawa!" Keitaro bowed over and over again to her.  
"Eh?" Naru forgot what happened when she realized where she was. "Nee (Hey), Keitaro, we've been here before, haven't we?"  
Keitaro stopped bowing and took a look around. "Yeah, isn't this Kyoto, where we had to spend the night in a room..." He blushed again. He looked at Naru, and found that she was also blushing.  
"And...this was the room, right?" Naru asked.  
"Hai." Keitaro replied shortly.  
And then there were silence.

"Love operation in progress." Another Mecha-Tama reported. "Data saved for backup." The glass cage next to it had Naru and Keitaro sitting face to face, looking down, blushing. "Memory Virtual Reality effectiveness: 92%. Data retrieval is at very low level: 10%."  
"Create additional scenes to optimize data retrieval." the Big Mecha-Tama ordered.  
"Creating scenes..."

The door to the room opened, and an old lady entered. "Ah, the lovebirds have awakened." she said, making both Naru and Keitaro surprised. "Don't mind me, I'll just be taking the used sheets."  
"L-Lovebirds? What are you talking about, obaa-san (old lady)." Keitaro asked.  
The lady turned to them. "Eh? Don't tell me you lied when you registered here last night." she said to them. "I let you use the same room because you said you were married."  
"N-NANI?!?!"  
"Ja (Well), I'll leave you two alone, now." The lady went out with a pack of used sheets.  
Silence dawned onto the room as they tried to comprehend what had just happened.  
Keitaro's eyes caught sight of a bag next to him. "This...this is my bag..." he mumbled as he opened it, not exactly sure what made him. After a brief search, he took out some papers. His eyes bulged at the title.  
Naru went to him and read it with him, and her eyes bulged out as well. "Marriage papers? So...Are we...really married?"  
Keitaro gulped. "No! This must be a dream!" he exclaimed.  
Naru nodded. "Yes, but whose dream? Yours or mine?"  
Keitaro returned the papers back into his bag. "Well, this looks like my dream." he said.  
"You mean...you've dreamt of marrying me?" Naru asked, blushing.  
Keitaro blushed. "Well, yes." he replied. "Haven't you?"  
That made Naru blush redder than a ripe tomato. "I...I..."  
"N-Never mind." Keitaro waved his hands. "I shouldn't have..."  
Naru shook her head. "No, to tell you the truth, I have dreamt the same..., Keitaro..."  
Keitaro brightened. "Really?"  
Naru nodded, still blushing. "Yes."  
After a brief pause, "N-Narusegawa..."  
Naru went to him and placed a finger on his lips, stopping his words. "Call me Naru..." she said.  
Their blush went even redder. "N-Naru..."

"Data retrieval increased by 87%." The Mecha-Tama reported.  
"Continue. This emotion is hard to understand. Gathering more data is imperative." ordered the Big Mecha-Tama.  
"Adding more scenes." The Mecha-Tama reported.

"Huh?" Keitaro snapped back into reality, and he was suddenly on the beach, watching the sunset, Naru in his arm. "N-Nani?"  
"Keitaro..." Naru sighed. She snuck herself towards Keitaro.  
"N-Narusegawa...Ack!" Keitaro yelped as he felt his side pinched.  
"I told you to call me Naru." she said.  
"Ah, Naru...How did we get here?" Keitaro asked.  
Naru opened her eyes and looked at the setting sun. She looked around. The beach was EMPTY, except for them. She turned to Keitaro. "I have no idea."  
"So, this must be a dream." said Keitaro.  
"I don't care anyways." Naru closed her eyes and laid her head onto Keitaro's chest, savoring his heartbeats.  
"N-Naru..." Keitaro sighed as he looked at her. He then used his other hand to sweep her brown hair.  
Naru sighed. "Keitaro...I...I..."  
"Naru, I should say it first." Keitaro said, when he realized what she was about to say.  
Naru chuckled. She took herself out of his hug and sat cross-legged on front of him. "Tell me, then."  
Keitaro smiled. "I...I...I love you..."  
Naru smiled at the words. "I...I love you too." she said. Then she lunged at him, making them fell backwards onto the warm sand.

"Data retrieval increased by another 96%." The Mecha-Tama reported. "Warning, data retrieval exceeds critical bandwidth limit. Warning, data storage is nearing full."  
"Create new data lines, increase bandwidth by 200%. Create new data storage, double current storage. Divert further retrieved data to new data storage." the Big Mecha-Tama ordered, somehow panicked, something that a machine shouldn't have. Some Mecha-Tama hurried all over the place as they took various mechanical equipments to various places. "Continue retrieving data for Love."  
Their business somehow lowered their alarm and they didn't notice a blonde-haired girl eavesdropping beside the hole that was created when Keitaro 'entered' the room.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author Notes: Well, so I _can_ do a Love Hina fic. I'm sorry for some OOC-ness. I'm sure any LH fans would know just where the OOC-ness are. Anyhow, why are they holding up our friends? These turtles better have a good explanation for this! And that blonde-haired girl...Who's that? Could it be...? Revelations and answers coming up next time on: The Empire Underneath.


	2. 

An Empire Underneath - Reasons

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina or any of the characters, but if you find any character here that is not in the Love Hina character list, that one is mine (this includes all the _talking_ Mecha-Tama and the Big Mecha-Tama, since they're not in the real Love Hina anime).

The Turtle Empire of the Underworld was at its usual chaos. Mecha-Tama running everywhere. The Big Mecha-Tama sat silently on the middle of the room, watching the five glass cubes in front of it. The only one still operating was the last cube, with Naru and Keitaro in it. The Mecha-Tama which was operating the panel was pressing some buttons, generally working hard. "Continue operation of Love. More data gathering is imperative to acquire this emotion."  
"Operation continued." The Mecha-Tama replied.

"N-Nani kore wa (What's this)?" a whisper came from behind a wall, next to the hole which was created when Keitaro 'entered' the room. It was Sarah. "Minna (Everyone)..." She whispered again before running away.

**LOVE HINA Special Episode! #2**

**The Empire Underneath**

**Chapter 2: Reasons**

"Nani (What)?" Seta looked surprised. "Kame no Teikoku (Turtle Empire)? Are you sure?"  
"I'm sure, Papa." Sarah insisted. "I've seen it with my very own eyes. They're all there."  
"Hmm, that explains why Hinata-sou is empty." Haruka said. Her trademark unlit cigarette swayed as she talk. They were gathering in the living room, just next to the open entrance under the stairwell.  
"We should rescue them, Papa!" Sarah exclaimed. "I remembered the route like it was the back of my hand!"  
"Hai (Yes), we should do that." Mutsumi appeared suddenly by the door. Next to her was Amalla.  
"Mutsumi-san!" Sarah exclaimed. "And you...?"  
"I'm Amalla. Kaolla's sister." Amalla replied. "I sensed that Kaolla's in trouble, so I came."  
Sarah slammed a fist to her palm. "I remember you." she said.  
"And I was trying to find my way back to my lodge when Amalla found me." Mutsumi said, smiling, tapping her head in her unique pose of innocence.   
"Then, we should all go and rescue them, Papa! Come on! This way!" Sarah exclaimed as she went to the opening under the stairs.  
"There _is_ a faster way." Mutsumi suddenly said.  
"Eh?"

"Koko (Here)." Mutsumi pointed down to a hole behind the Hinata-sou Tea House.  
"B-But...the roof was destroyed the last time we're here because of Motoko-san's attack." said Sarah.  
"Daijobu (It's alright)." Mutsumi said. "Ja (Well)," She said before jumping down into the hole.  
Sarah, Seta, Amalla, and Haruka looked at each other. Amalla jumped down first. Seta took Sarah and put her on his shoulder before jumping down. Haruka raised both shoulders before jumping down as well.  
"See? It's blocked." said Sarah.  
"Ara ara (ah)," Mutsumi said her favorite sigh. "It seems so. But here..." Mutsumi went to the right wall and ran her hand on the wall as if looking for something. Eventually, her hand pushed a secret button. A trap hole opened right under the slide, and the rocks fell right into it, clearing the path.  
Everyone was astounded. "Mutsumi-san, how do you know about this?" asked Sarah.  
"I don't exactly know myself." Mutsumi replied.  
"Even I don't know there're things like this here." said Haruka.  
"Let's continue!" Amalla exclaimed.  
"Hai!"

After a while, they came onto a fork on the road. "Which way?" asked Haruka.  
"I can feel Kaolla's presence from both sides." said Amalla, her eyes closed.  
"I think it's the left one." Seta said. "It's where we came running from when we found the huge door."  
"That's right, Papa!" Sarah exclaimed.  
"Anoo, wouldn't it better to go there unknown?" Mutsumi asked.  
Everyone turned to her. It seemed that she knows A LOT about these ruins.

"Huh?" Keitaro returned to reality with a snap. He tried to figure out where he was THIS time. But the room was so dark. He tried to move and realized that he was under a blanket. Also that he wasn't wearing his glasses. He reached for his glasses and wore it, then frowned. He took it off and was surprised. "Hey, this is Narusegawa's...ACK!"  
"I told you to call me Naru." Naru mumbled from somewhere. Her hand was on Keitaro's side, pinching him.  
Cold sweat ran down Keitaro's back as he realized where Naru was. He uncovered the blanket, and Naru was there, sleeping next to him. "N-Naruse...ah, N-Naru!" he exclaimed, correcting himself as Naru pinched again.  
Naru went to sit, but from the look of her face, she didn't seem to be fully awake yet. "Nani (What)?"  
Keitaro gulped. "W-Why are we sleeping on one bed?" he asked.  
Naru took 3 seconds to fully comprehend the question. She then jumped away from the bed. "W-What have you done?!"  
"Me?! I haven't done anything!" Keitaro exclaimed, a stream of water came from his eyes. This is it, Naru's going to punch him away to Mars.  
But to his surprise, Naru didn't do it. Instead, she sat there, looking down. Her shoulders rocked at times, as if she's... Keitaro gasped. He went to her, sat next to her and put a hand around her. "N-Naru?" He was right. She was crying.  
"K-Keitaro...did...did we do...it?" she asked between sobs.  
Keitaro looked down as he said, "I don't know..." he said. He then frowned. The dim light and no glasses made his sight worse. He touched himself to make sure. Then, "Hey! We still have our clothes on! We couldn't have done it!" he exclaimed.  
Naru gasped. She checked herself. He was right. She sighed. "You're right. We didn't." she said.  
Keitaro nodded as he smiled. "Yokatta {an exclamation of relief, its meaning varies}."  
Naru put her head onto Keitaro's chest. "Hai, yokatta. I didn't have to lose the moment."  
That put a ripe blush on Keitaro's face. "W-What do you mean?" he asked.  
Naru didn't reply, and Keitaro didn't have the guts to start thinking what she meant.

"Hai, koko." Mutsumi said as she pressed a piece of wall. The wall slid inward and an opening opened next to it. "Let's go, minna-san." she said as she entered the opening.  
"She knew these passages better than I do..." Sarah mumbled, a huge sweatdrop on her head.  
The group followed the 'Turtle Girl' into the opening. After a moment, Mutsumi stopped. "We're almost there. We must be _very_ quite now." she said.  
The rest of the group just nodded. Mutsumi crouched as she neared a seemingly dead end. A hole was connecting the passage with another room. Mutsumi peeked through it. "I could see some glass cages. Our friends are in it. Also a lot of Mecha-Tama around." The hole was on the corner wall behind Shinobu's glass cage.  
"Let's just blast in!" Amalla exclaimed.  
"No! That's too dangerous!" Seta said.  
"That's right." said Haruka. "We should think of a plan."  
Then, a voice came through the hole. "Data retrieval is stabilizing at 195% from normal level at 300% bandwidth."  
"Continue operation. More data retrieval is imperative. Start Move Force System."  
"Operation continued, Move Force System activated." Then silence but the voices of scurrying Mecha-Tama.  
"What was that?" Sarah asked.  
"Seemed like the Mecha-Tama are doing research on our friends." Seta replied.  
"What kind of research?" asked Haruka.  
"Let's just blast in!" Amalla exclaimed again.  
"Ara-ara..." Mutsumi sighed. "It seemed that they're doing some research on emotions. I can see Shinobu-chan crying in a strange glass cage."  
"Why would machines research on emotions?" asked Sarah.  
"They..." Seta fixed his glasses. "Are they going to acquire the ability to experience emotions...? It's the dream of any robot to become human, and to become truly human, they require emotions." 

Keitaro and Naru were still sitting in the dark room, hugging, when Keitaro felt something _very_ weird. "N-Naru...I can't seem...to..."  
"K-Keitaro..." Naru seemed to experience the same thing.  
Suddenly, Keitaro pushed Naru to the floor and position himself above him. "Gomen nasai (I'm very sorry), Naru!" Keitaro exclaimed, two streams of water spurted from his eyes. "I-I can't control myself!"  
"K-Keitaro! T-Tasukete (H-Help)...!" Naru tried to struggle, but she failed, both because of the mysterious force and Keitaro's hand on her wrist, pinning her to the floor.  
"N-Naru...gomen nasai!" Keitaro had time to say before the mysterious force pushed him to touch Naru's lips with his. 

"Data retrieval increased by another 75%, now at 260% normal level. Warning, data retrieval nearing critical zone." The Mecha-Tama which was operating Naru and Keitaro's panel reported.  
"Create new data retrieval lines. Increase to 400%." The Big Mecha-Tama ordered.  
The lot of Mecha-Tama scurried faster, taking various electronic stuff somewhere.

"N-Naru..." Keitaro whispered softly when the force let him go. He quickly sat up, and moved away a bit. "G-Gomen nasai, Naru." he said, bowing repeatedly.  
"Daijobu, Keitaro." Naru said, surprising Keitaro. He looked at her unbelievingly. Naru was blushing. "It wasn't your fault...I know...you wouldn't do that..."  
Keitaro sighed in relief. "I wouldn't dare..." he whispered. But then he looked around, his face showed suspicion. "This is weird." he said. "First, we're moving from places to places without a trace of memory, then this mysterious force..."  
Naru looked up to him. "You're right. Something fishy is going around here." she said.  
Keitaro stood up. "Let's find out!"  
Naru stood up next to him. "Yeah! Let's!"  
But right then, the force took them again, and they were forced to lie down. "Aaah!" Both Keitaro and Naru screamed as they hit the floor. They have totally no control to their bodies as they rolled onto the bed. After a second, they found themselves having their hands around each other.  
"G-Gomen..." Keitaro began to say.  
"Iie (No), it's not your fault." Naru quickly cut him. "We must fight this force."  
Keitaro nodded. He then accumulated all of his strength and tried to break free of the force. And...

"Love Sample One has managed to release himself from Move Force System." The Mecha-Tama reported.  
"Reconfigure Move Force System. Force Move as soon as possible." The Big Mecha-Tama ordered. "No, wait!" Suddenly it countered its own order. Its eyes began to flash. "Double power on Force Move on Sample Two: Act #4158."  
The Mecha-Tama's eyes flashed as well. Its mouth seemed to form a smile. "That's a good one, boss." it said.  
"Ara ara..." Mutsumi watched the whole scene.  
"They're integrating the emotions already." said Seta. "If they're not built for it, it will destroy themselves."  
"Let's just blast in!" Amalla exclaimed again.  
"Yes! I think we should go now! Come on, Papa! Obaa-san (Old lady)! ACK!" Sarah exclaimed.  
Haruka bit her cigarette as she rubbed Sarah's head with her knuckles *hard*. "It's Haruka-san! And we need a plan!" She then looked at Seta. "Gomen, ne." she said.  
"Ahaha, no problem." Seta said, smiling.  
"Papa!" Sarah objected.

"I did it, Naru!" Keitaro exclaimed. He turned to Naru and shrieked.  
"K-Keitaro...I c-can't..." Naru was moving slowly but sure. It was evident that she was fighting the force, but it was also clear that the force is winning.  
Keitaro couldn't believe his eyes. Right in front of him, Naru was reaching for the buttons of her shirt. Just as she began to unbutton the toppest, Keitaro took her hands. He pulled them away and pinned them on the floor. "Naru! Yamete (Stop)!" he exclaimed.  
"T-Tasukete, Keitaro..." Naru begged. Tears began to swell on her eyes.  
"I won't let you do anything stupid." Keitaro assured her. "Or do anything that will make me do anything stupid."  
"K-Keitaro..." Naru whispered. "Arigato (Thank you)..."  
Keitaro smiled. "You can count on me." he said. He then laughed uneasily as Naru's face turned into a face of pessimism.

"Love Sample One managed to get over the Act. Rats! What should we do now, boss?!" The Mecha-Tama asked.  
"_Now_ you configure the Move Force on Keitaro. We'll see if he can keep his words when he's pinned as well." The Big Mecha-Tama replied.  
The Mecha-Tama went back to operating the panel. Its eyes flashed, and it made a noise: "Heh, heh, heh..."  
"Ara ara...they're beginning to be able to laugh." Mutsumi reported.  
"This is not good..." Seta said. "And we don't have a plan yet, too."  
"That's because we're always peeping and don't even try to think up a plan." Haruka said calmly.  
"Let's think of a plan!" Sarah exclaimed.  
"Let's just blast in!" Amalla suggested.

"Huh...?" Keitaro actually felt when the force began to take control over him again. "N-Naru...I...I..."  
"K-Keitaro..." Naru knew it would come up to that. In front of her, Keitaro slowly went on his knees next to her. He then lowered himself on her. "K-Keitaro! Y-Yamete!" she exclaimed.  
"Gomen nasai! I c-can't...can't control myself! N-Naru!" Keitaro shrieked. He was forced to put one elbow on Naru's side, and another on the other side, making him right above her. "N-Naru..." he sighed. He blushed when he realized just how close they were.  
His blush made Naru realized it as well, also making her blush. "K-Keitaro..." she sighed back.  
Unconsciously, they began to loosen their muscles and gave in to the force.

**LOVE HINA: The Empire Underneath...not for sale or rent :)**

"Hah, hah, hah! They've given up, boss!" The Mecha-Tama exclaimed.  
"Good. Continue!" the Big Mecha-Tama exclaimed.  
"They?" Sarah asked.  
"I can see Motoko-san, Kitsune-san, Su-chan, and Shinobu-chan." said Mutsumi.  
"You don't mean...They're putting Naru and Keitaro together?" asked Amalla.  
"And 'give up'?" Haruka raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"  
"C-Could be...that..." Sarah began to say. _Very_ unlike her, she began to blush. "I-If they're collecting emotions...Then... then Naru and Keitaro...And they _did_ mention about Love Samples..."  
"Ara ara..." Mutsumi sighed. "_Very_ possible." she concluded.

Keitaro opened his eyes and found that he was kissing Naru. The back of his mind struggled to be free, but neither his mind, his heart, nor any of his muscles were responding. "Naru..." he sighed between kisses.  
Naru opened her eyes. She looked at him gently, then smiled. "Keitaro..." she sighed back. Then they returned to kissing.  
Keitaro could feel his hands went about Naru's body. He knew it was wrong, he knew that he shouldn't be doing it, he wanted to stop, but he couldn't. 'N-No! I don't want it like this!' he thought. 'If I'm going to...to...have her...I want it to be her own will...'. Despite that, they continued kissing.

"I can't stand this any longer!" Amalla exclaimed. She ran towards the hole and broke through it. It was a thin rock wall, so she went through it like a breeze. "Anyone dared to challenge me?!" she exclaimed.  
All the Mecha-Tama were stopped in their tracks as their sensor eyes scanned her. Then, the Big Mecha-Tama gave an ultimatum: "Get them!"  
The Mecha-Tama began to fly towards Amalla. She evaded them swiftly and took out her flute. She began to play a melody (the melody she always played in the anime). Out of nowhere, her white crocodile appeared and began to stomp on the Mecha-Tama. Then a fight between hundreds of small Mecha-Tama against a huge white crocodile followed.  
"Papa! Let's rescue minna-san!" Sarah exclaimed as she ran to the glass cages.  
"Hai! Let's go!" Seta ran after his adopted daughter. He jump-kicked and shattered the glass cage that had Motoko in it.  
Motoko fell flat onto the base of the cage. Seta went to her and tried to waken her. "Motoko-chan! Wake up!" But he only got responses like: "K-Kame (Turtle)...doko ni mo (everywhere)."  
Sarah took some pebbles from the debris created when Amalla 'entered' the room and threw them at the remaining glass cages, breaking them all, except the last one. Naru and Keitaro's.  
"Increase Love Sample Memory Virtual Reality Cage Defense by 500%!" Big Mecha-Tama ordered. "All Mecha! Attack all intruders! You stay where you are, Mecha!" The Big Mecha-Tama ordered the Mecha-Tama operating Love. "Continue data retrieval!"  
"Understood, sir!" The Mecha-Tama held its right...hand? Fin? Well, it held its limb over its eyes, giving a salute.  
The Glass Cage which held Naru and Keitaro turned gray and lost its translucence.

Naru sighed as she felt Keitaro's soft lips on hers. 'If it has to come to this, I...I might as well not fight it, since I don't think Keitaro could... do things like this in his own will.' she thought. "K-Keitaro..." she managed to say between kisses.  
"Hmm?" Keitaro hummed as they were already kissing. His eyes were closed, savoring the sensation on his lips.  
"Mmmh...T-Take...me...Mmm...P-Please..."  
That opened Keitaro's eyes. He began to fight the force. "N-Naru! I...I don't want...to..."  
Naru looked at him, her eyes were a mix of sadness and anger. "Y-You...don't want me?"  
"C-Chigau (N-No {and one of a few desperate way to say it})! That's not what I meant...I...I don't want to take advantage of this strange force on you...I...If I'm going to have you..." Keitaro stopped for a moment. He loosened his muscles and their faces met again. "...I want it to be your own...free...will." He ended his line in a kiss.  
'K-Keitaro...'

"Hiken Fuujin Ranbu!" Motoko, who had woken up from her 'shock' swung her sword and the produced gust of wind swept most of the Mecha-Tama to the wall, breaking them into pieces. But their space is quickly filled with another batch of them.  
"It's no good!" Seta exclaimed. "We must destroy the leader!"  
"Wai! You mean that big big Mecha-Tama?!" Kaolla exclaimed. "That's too bad..."  
"Su-chan!" Mitsune exclaimed. "Stop them! Hack their system or something!"  
"Will do! Will do!" Kaolla jumped onto one of the glass cage panels and began to fiddle with it. After a while, she raised one eyebrow. She then pressed something and took a big piece of glass from the glass cage. As she pressed a button, she looked through the glass.  
"Kaolla!" Shinobu went to her. "What are you doing?" she asked.  
But Kaolla didn't respond. She seemed to be in a trance. A moment later, she dropped the glass, and it gave out a reflection of a red moon before it dropped onto the rock floor and broke into pieces.  
"What's wrong with her?" Sarah asked Shinobu. "We have to fight these pests."  
Shinobu knew what was happening. She took a few steps back as Kaolla began to glow.  
Sarah, who have no idea that Kaolla can change under some circumstances, watched with bulging eyes as Kaolla turned into her adult form.  
Kaolla jumped and landed next to her sister, her...musical instrument...on her hand. "Let's do this together, onee-chan (big sister)." she said.  
Amalla looked at her, then smiled. They then began to play a joint melody. The white crocodile went berserk, and the real Tama appeared, in the hundreds, attacking their Mecha counterpart.  
"What about the hacking?!" Mitsune exclaimed, her face desperate.  
"K-Kaolla can change?!" Sarah exclaimed unbelievingly. "Boy, you do have strange people here at Hinata-sou, obaa-san. ACK!"  
"It's Haruka-san!" she said, her knuckles on Sarah's head.  
Seta fought side by side with Motoko in trying to reach the Love Sample Cage, which wasn't of glass anymore. "We have to get Naru-chan and Keitaro-kun out of here!" he exclaimed as he punched some Mecha-Tama onto the wall.  
"I know that!" Motoko exclaimed. "Hiken Fuujin Ranbu!" The blow took out some Mecha-Tama, including the one operating Naru and Keitaro's cage.   
"Ara ara...What a good fight..."

Naru and Keitaro opened their eyes in unison as they realized that the force was gone. "We're free!" Keitaro said. "Something must've happened. Come on. We have to..."  
But Naru didn't budge. She kept on holding him. "K-Keitaro..."  
Keitaro gulped. He looked at her eyes. "N-Naru...come on...we..."  
Naru closed her eyes as she shook her head. She then snuck her head into Keitaro's chest as she swept his back with her hand, making Keitaro tensed. "This is...my own free will..." she whispered.  
Keitaro gulped.

Kaolla jumped high and landed as her normal form in front of Naru and Keitaro's cage's panel and began pressing buttons while the others tried their best to keep the Mecha-Tama from getting near her. But they were surrounded.  
"Give up, puny humans!" The Big Mecha-Tama ordered.  
"Never! Ougi Zangan Ken!" A flash jumped from Motoko's sword as she swung it towards the Big Mecha-Tama. It struck it right on the middle, but it only did it minimal damage.  
"Done it! Done it!" Kaolla exclaimed, jumping in joy.  
Everyone, including Tama, the whole lot of Mecha-Tama and the Big Mecha-Tama turned towards the cage, which began to return to being translucent. 

Naru and Keitaro stopped on their tracks as they realized that they were in a _translucent_ glass cage, hugging each other, their lips together, while outside the glass cage were a grinning Kaolla and Sarah, a surprised Mitsune and Amalla, an outraged Motoko, Shinobu stifling a cry, Haruka and Seta with a raised eyebrow, and Mutsumi, tapping her head in her usual innocence look, sighing, "Ara ara..."  
After a meaningless 3 seconds, Keitaro had Naru's foot on his cheek and he flew through the glass cage, over everyone, and through the Big Mecha-Tama.  
That turned off _every_ single Mecha-Tama around the vicinity. The Big Mecha-Tama began to budge.  
"It's going to crash!" Mitsune exclaimed. "Everybody OUT!"  
"Senpai!" Shinobu exclaimed, she went to get Keitaro.  
"Leave him to me!" Amalla said. "Get out! Everybody out!"  
And they got out of the room just as the Big Mecha-Tama collapsed on the floor, destroying every Mecha-Tama under it.

Keitaro sighed. He was lying on his bed in his room, looking towards the ceiling. He and Naru had a lot of explaining to do to all of the Hinata-sou residents, especially Shinobu. Luckily, Kaolla backed them up, saying that the cage _was_ in fact a kind of Virtual Reality cage, and also confirmed the presence of the Move Force system. Even though they still don't believe them, at least they let it go at that.  
'What would happen if...' Keitaro began to think. 'If minna-san came a bit later...the both of us would've been...' he blushed. 'Her last words...were they true? That it was her own free will? Why would she kick me afterwards, then?'  
His was so lost in thoughts that he didn't catch a movement on the ceiling. He only noticed it when faint light came through the hole connecting his room and Naru's. He frowned.  
A moment later, Naru jumped down and swiftly put herself under Keitaro's blanket. She then looked at him, smiling.  
"N-Naruse...ACK!"  
Naru frowned. "Haven't I told you to call me Naru?" she pouted.  
"Gomen." Keitaro bowed his head a bit, then he gulped. "W-what are you doing here?"  
Naru slid her hands over Keitaro's side and hugged him closer. "Do you think I lied when I...said that it was my own free will?" she asked as she began to blush. "I'm...continuing what's been cut."  
Keitaro blushed as he gulped. "B-But...why..."  
Naru put a finger on Keitaro's lips. "The others don't have to know..." she whispered.  
"Naru..." Keitaro sighed. They then kissed.

Naru and Keitaro were so 'busy' they didn't realize that someone had been eavesdropping since Naru jumped down. The person sat cross-legged in front of the Kanrinin's (Inn Manager's) room. As she began to hear some _very_ mushy sounds, her foxy eyes flashed as her mouth formed a slick smile. "Naru, Keitaro...way to go!" Mitsune whispered.

Author's notes: WAY TO GO for me too! I don't think I _can_ make a Love Hina fic _this_ long. Being an Aries has its downside in story making, especially long fics, as Aries tend to get bored over anything quickly. Anyhow, I tried to make everything in this story as canon (real to the story's history) as possible, but I admit I made some things on my own. Like Sarah's 'Out-Of-Character'-ness of calling Haruka obaa-san (That's Keitaro's habit), the additional door in the room where Mecha-Tama was feeding itself, the trap doors and secret passageways Mutsumi used. And speaking of her, I realized I didn't say anything on how she could know all those passageways, since in the anime, she did just that once, too (If I'm not mistaken, the ep where Mei-chan came). Also, I've been researching on Adult Kaolla's instrument and found it to have some resemblance to the Egyptian instrument called 'ud. If you make a search on this word in Encarta 1999 above, you'll find it. She _did_ say that she wished from 'the red moon of the desert', and we all know that Egypt is not that far from a desert, so...? ANYHOW, see you in another fic (especially since this Author Note is getting too long).

Arsen Dawn  
Storymaster Q[  
StorymasterQ@icqmail.com][1]  
ICQ#: 75282461

   [1]: mailto:StorymasterQ@icqmail.com



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